Chocolate Cake From the Simple to the Sublime

PART ONE Ingredients, Equipment, and Techniques INGREDIENTS HOW DELICIOUS YOUR cakes taste and how well they come out depends on the quality of the ingredients and how you handle them. I think about ingredients in two categories: those like eggs, butter, sugar, and flour that are essential to the structure and flavor of the cake, and those like spices, nuts, and vanilla extract that are "add-ins" for flavor and texture. EGGS All the recipes in this book were tested with U.S. Grade AA or Grade A large eggs, which weigh about 1.67 ounces each out of the shell or 2 ounces in the shell. Eggs are a most amazing and perfect food, essential to the art of baking. They are part of the liquid content of the cake, and their protein coagulates so that they bind the ingredients together as they give structure to the cake. They help cakes rise as well as contribute to color, nutrition, and, of course, flavor. Egg yolks are natural emulsifiers so they help to produce smooth batters, which in turn help in the leavening and texture of the finished cake. They are rich in fat, which tenderizes the cake because the fat weakens ("shortens") the gluten strands in the flour. The fat in the yolks is also what thickens custards, sauces, and fillings. Egg whites, too, have a unique function in cake-making: They are rich in albumen so they can be stretched enough to hold in air bubbles when beaten, which is why they are essential to the structure of angel food and chiffon cakes. There is no difference between brown and white eggs in terms of nutrition and other properties; in fact, the only difference between them is the pigment in the shells, which varies according to the breed of chicken. In some parts of the country, brown eggs are more expensive because they are less popular, so you should buy what is freshest and cheapest. Buying and Storing Eggs Eggs have recently been implicated in salmonella poisoning, so the American Egg Board recommends you take special care in their handling. Check the expiration date on the carton and make sure the eggs are clean and without cracks. Refrigerate the eggs immediately when you get them home and store them in the carton toward the back wall of the refrigerator, not in the door where they deteriorate more quickly because of the temperature swings that come from opening and closing the refrigerator door. Whole eggs out of the shell can be stored in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze whole eggs, first stir them gently to blend without incorporating air, and freeze them in a container, leaving 1-2 inch of headroom at the top, for up to 9 months. Store egg yolks in the refrigerator, by keeping them covered with water in a glass jar so they don't dry out, but use them within 2 days. You cannot freeze whole egg yolks because, upon thawing, they turn into an unusable sticky gel. To freeze them correctly, first pierce each yolk gently with a toothpick, then combine each 1-4 cup of yolks with 1 teaspoon of sugar if you are going to use them in sweet dishes or with 1-8 teaspoon of salt if you are going to use them in savory ones. Transfer them to a container with a tight-fitting lid, leaving 1-2 inch of headroom for expansion, and freeze for up to 9 months. Store leftover egg whites in the refrigerator in a covered glass jar for up to a week, or freeze them for up to a year. Be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator, however, before using, and don't refreeze them. Dried Egg Whites These are dehydrated egg whites that have been pasteurized so they are safe to eat and great to use in situations where you don't cook the egg whites. I use them only for crystallizing flowers. Handling Eggs in Baking THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE: Before baking, other ingredients should be between 68F and 70F, but eggs should be even a bit warmer. Warm eggUrvater, Michele is the author of 'Chocolate Cake From the Simple to the Sublime' with ISBN 9780767906074 and ISBN 0767906071.